scheduling inspiration

i did this one in a *woe is me* moment - sometimes my mind draws a horrifying blank during my few precious hours of creative freedom while the girls are in preschool or napping. i seem to get in the groove right before pick-up or wake-up, when i'm in my own happy and silent little world, and all of a sudden it comes to a jarring end. i love this article by jennifer new; she nails the sentiment perfectly, and somehow i feel better knowing i'm not the only one whose creative flow has been abruptly cut short by a demand for macaroni and cheese.

sicilian slammer

i love la prima tazza - it's big enough to get my own table, and small enough to overhear KU students talk about their artistic challenges and life-threatening dilemmas. lawrence is full of creative energy and i love living on the periphery of it without having to be a student again myself. the sicilian slammer is la prima tazza's version of starbucks' red-eye/shot in the dark. regular coffee with extra shots of espresso. the stronger, the better!

daily rituals

doodles, crosswords, cups of coffee, daydreams, text messages, cutting and gluing bits of paper, dashes to the mailbox, obsessive checks to make sure the door is locked at night - all these little daily habits add up to make the days worthwhile and uniquely ours.

idea camera

i love those days when the ideas come rushing out of nowhere. the only problem is, usually they come and go before i can do anything with them. if someone invented an "idea camera" i'd be first in line to buy it.

crazy artsy chair

i found a crazy artsy chair yesterday. i wasn't in the market for one, but there it was, on sale, in the middle of iowa, the lone ranger on the floor, and i nearly fell over myself when i saw it. somehow this crazy thing fit in my car and made it 225 miles back home. now it's sitting in our living room and it looks perfect. this is an opinion piece if i ever saw one; people will either adore it or think i've gone nuts.

travels to austin

austin itself was recklessly blooming this past weekend, warm, and full of bluebonnets (although not as spectacular as usual). the trip was a nice change from the crap weather we've had up north. traveling with children is emphatically NOT the same as traveling alone but a very smart jared took care of the girls on the way there and back so i got some much needed creative airplane time. i love flying and always have. some of my most productive hours have been in the air. movement and transition are definitely the most influential prods in my creative process. even when i flew to and from work every week, it never got old even though it became as routine as making coffee. the travel was always the highlight of my week. i just loved working within a fixed yet temporary space for a few hours, using my seat as a portable art studio and creating madly while i was supposed to be doing stuff for my *big job* instead.

stoplight journaling

my car has become a portable studio. because we zip back & forth to KC so much i've started journaling on 5"x7" cards (chopped up sheets of 110 lb cover) instead of lugging my journals and other art baggage with me. the cards are small so they keep me focused on one thought or one moment, which is all i usually have time for anyway. i paint or ink the backgrounds at home, toss a stack in the car with a black pen, and off we go. note to kansas city drivers: i don't draw while i'm driving. just at stoplights.

mishmash journal covers

just finished some journal covers. i do love collage. there's a real thrill involved in mixing things from all walks of life that would normally have no business hanging out together. i made these covers from pieces of my old journal pages & drawings, vintage books & maps, dyed papertowels, clippings from french mags, and some of my handpainted papers.

last weekend i picked up a load of vintage treasures from the lawrence public library book sale - tomes of world maps, foreign language, even calculus. i can't wait to rip it all up.

springtime in lawrence

spring has been slow to arrive in lawrence this year, but it's here for good (i think). it's good to see little green things poking out of the ground, making everything look pretty again.

journaling adventure

a few weeks ago the regular 'escape to artsyville' crew came over for an evening of art, wine & chocolate. this time we played with visual journals. it is great fun to see what happens when a bunch of artists and creative people get together. we never really know until everyone gets going and the wine starts flowing. here's part of a mini-book i put together with some journaling ideas.

welcome to artsyville

finally, a little spot for my creative adventures! a place to think, dream, escape, invent, discover, share, create, play.